Book 12 Chapter 22

A roundtable discussion with Ryu-yeon Bi and her crew

Jang Hong: Hello, dear readers, my name is Jang Hong, and I play the main character of this novel. For those of you who have forgotten the plot for a while, to summarize the story so far, it's a spectacular fantasy romance wuxia about the adventures, friendship, and beautiful love of the wonderful romance Gray Jang Hong.

Bi Ryuyeon: Chet, what else is middle-aged love but an affair? Besides, the main character of this book has always been me, and I won't tolerate the role reversal of the supporting cast, who are getting fewer and fewer roles these days.

Jang Hong: Wealth, infidelity!!! Nonsense! It's just romance. Don't you even know how a man feels?

Bi Ryuyeon: Haoh, romance? So you don't mind if I literally do it to my brother-in-law?

Jang Hong: Mu, what kind of harsh words are you saying, I'm still a fresh young bachelor…….

Ms. Bi Liu: Ohhhh, now a marriage license scam! Your brother-in-law must be so happy!

Jang Hong: Look here, Ryuyeon, we have a deal: spare this Wu brother just once. What's wrong with you? Hmph, it's not much, but it's my sincerity, so I'll give you this…….

Bi Ryuyeon: Hmmm…, is that so?

Hyo X: What are you doing in the hallowed halls of the Great Council?

Jang Hong: Did you bark something now?

Bi Ryuyeon: Well, I don't think someone who hasn't come to their senses yet would have said that.

Jang Hong: Of course. He hasn't come back to his senses yet. Will he ever come back?

Bi Ryuyeon: That's something you don't know until you flip to the next book.

Jang Hong: (Cringe!) I see, that's it…….

Bi Ryuyeon : Why are your eyes so scary?

Jang Hong: Ahahaha, it's an illusion, it's an illusion! By the way, do you know about this thing called qi sense?

Bi Ryuyeon: Ooh, that's a great topic change. What's with the sudden sense of urgency?

Jang Hong: It's like I suddenly wanted to talk about a sense of urgency. It's like a sense of obligation, like a revelation from God.

Bi Ryuyeon: Why? Who doesn't know what Gishigam is?

Jang Hong: Maybe it was. It's a kind of proof that we're living in the world of the Matrix. You know, in that movie, you see two black cats walking by?

Bi Ryuyeon: You know.

Jang Hong: That's the sense of urgency.

Bi Ryuyeon : Eh? Isn't that a little bit wrong? That's a weird explanation.

Jang Hong: Pfft, maybe I'm being too hard on you with my arcane front door wisdom, so let me give you an example. It will be much easier for you and your readers to understand.

Bi Ryuyeon: Tell me about it.

Jang Hong: A writer had a deadline coming up.

Bi Ryuyeon: That's a terrible story, and I feel sorry for you.

Jang Hong: Sure, it's pitiful, it's terrible, it's even horrifying in some cases. Anyway, a writer who was navigating the deadline chaos got a call from the editorial department.

Bi Ryuyeon: No, I didn't even disconnect the phone line? A writer on deadline?

Jang Hong: Unfortunately, he said he did. And he didn't take out his phone battery.

Bi Ryuyeon: You're a very unprepared writer. How did you manage to navigate the chaos of deadlines with such a lazy spirit?

Jang Hong: Don't be so hard on yourself. Anyway, I apologize, and the editorial director spoke into the phone.

I said, "Hey, writer, you're due soon, are you done with your manuscript?" And the writer said, "What? I'm already done, didn't you turn it in?

Bi Ryuyeon: So it wasn't an e-mail that got blown up, or an error, or an administrative error by the publisher?

Jang Hong: Well, hear me out. We're talking about the sense of urgency. And the editorial staff said, "That's not possible, we don't accept closed manuscripts, you have to give them to us!" And the writer said, "No, I'm sure I've handed in closed manuscripts before. There must be a mistake, look it up, and then bye-bye, click-clack-clack-clack-clack-clack-clack-clack-clack-clack-clack-clack-clack-clack-clack-clack-clack-clack-clack-clack-clack.

Bi Ryuyeon: Ooh, I don't know……? I don't know, I don't know, and the example is kind of weird. So, just to give you a rough idea, it's when you feel like you've done something before, right?

Jang Hong: It was very similar. It's a psychological term that refers to the feeling of having experienced something before, somewhere, at some time, even though you never did. In the Chinese dictionary, it's also called "deja vu," and it's used to describe a vague memory of a previous life.

Bi Ryuyeon: Boulanger? Aah! That's French. What does that have to do with the example you just gave?

Jang Hong: Let's just say it's a very deep and intimate relationship. It's dangerous to get too close to the truth of the world.

Bi Ryuyeon: hmmmm…….

Jang Hong: Come on, don't overthink it, let's just move on. Ahahaha. Here, here, here!

Bi Ryuyeon : Hmph, since Woo-hyung says that, I'll leave it at that. Speaking of which, did you hear that the writer is planning to go abroad this time?

Jang Hong: Ah, yes, that happened. Word travels fast.

Bi Ryuyeon : When we talk about fleeing abroad, isn't it a reference to the old saying of running away and hiding across the sea?

Jang Hong: That's right. Nowadays, you don't have to go far, you can just sit at home and turn on the TV, and you can easily meet people like that every day. Anyway, the writer was planning a trip to Japan just in time for this deadline. Perhaps he was planning to use the trip as an excuse and escape to Japan if he didn't meet the deadline. I guess he thought the editorial staff wouldn't be able to reach him because he was across the water.

Bi Liu Yeon : I'm sure it was, and as the deadline approached, the idea of going abroad sounded appealing, like a clear, high-pitched sound that echoed around the world. But for a writer, it's the first time you've ever crossed an ocean other than Jeju Island, right?

Jang Hong: Oh, yeah, he said it was his first time getting a passport and visa.

Bi Ryuyeon : For writers who are faced with the miserable reality of approaching deadlines, the idea of going abroad must seem like a black knight or relief pitcher.

It was my first trip abroad, and I was too unprepared. It's all about stealth, speed, precision, and sensitivity, and I was too soft. Finally, I was caught, and I had to finish and go.

Bi Ryuyeon: Hmmm, so that's how things worked out, so by the time this 12th volume comes out, you'll be across the ocean.

Jang Hong: Well, it's going to happen.

Bi Ryuyeon : This picture was sent to us by Dumun Bulbul and Apple Witch from the next cafe in Bi Liu Island. Thank you for your good drawings, and thank you to those who upload many drawings to the archive. I always enjoy looking at them. We will send autographed books to them as well.

The following cafe addresses are unreliable.

Sword and Sorcery Fantasy Novel ☆High Voltage★

(cafe.daum.net\/TGSNOSF)

▶▷Biroido◁◀ (cafe.daum.net\/biroido)

Oh, and I apologize for not being able to respond to all of the many readers who write fan letters. But we never forget to thank you. So I'd like to take this opportunity to say thank you. And I'll be sure to nudge the writer to write back as many as she can. Her e-mail address is redacted입니다.

Jang Hong: I'll try my best to help you with that.

Ryu-yeon Bi & Hong Zhang: Well, dear readers, we'll leave you with the promise of the next volume, and we're excited to tell you that the writers are feverishly preparing a winter special. What it will be is still a secret!

Until then, take care!